


The Few Months We Have

by Wang_Peng



Category: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Genre: F/M, I know you might think it's weird but it's really not, Idk if im doing this right, Reader-Insert, dream daddy - Freeform, trust me - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-01-10 14:44:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12301320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wang_Peng/pseuds/Wang_Peng
Summary: You've lived in Maple Bay all your life. Same house, same cul de sac, same everything.  Until one day a new family moves into the cul de sac.  Now none other than Amanda Ann is living across the street from you.  You know her from school and have admired her, but never talked to her.  With the last few months of high school approaching, now is a good time to start.  Plus, you never know what might come of it.





	1. The New Neighbors

**Author's Note:**

> Let me get something straight. This is not some weird dadxdaughter bs. In this story you are a 17 year old high school student. Also I'm 18 so it's not weird for me to be writing this either. 
> 
> Now that that's out of the way, hi! Thank you for clicking on this! This is literally the first thing I've ever written and posted. I just really wanted to try something new and after playing the game, this story somehow formulated in my head and I thought it sounded pretty good so I wrote it. It's a little nerve wracking posting a pairing that doesn't even exist. I mean Dream Daddy is for dating dads so it makes sense that that's what all the fics are about but still, I just really was feeling this story so I'm going out here posting it.
> 
> Sorry for the length note, I really hope you enjoy it and please give me any constructive criticism you may have in the comments, and thanks again!

    It was a bright, brisk winter day in Maple Bay.  You were driving back home from your friend's house when you noticed a moving truck outside the house across from your's in the cul-de-sac.  You pull into your garage, get out of your car, and enter your house to find your father sitting on the couch, watching TV.  
    "Hey, dad, I noticed the moving truck across the street. You meet the new neighbors yet?"  
     "Not yet, (Y/N).  I was actually waiting for you to get back so we could go over together.  We could go now if you want" he says, finally diverting his gaze away from the TV.  
     "Uh, yeah sure let me just put on some better clothes. They moved into this white-picket-fence neighborhood and I gotta meet the expectations, right?" you tease, walking down the hall to your room.  
    "I don't know who you're trying to impress" you dad shouts from down the hall.  
    "It's called a good first impression" you shout back, rummaging through your closet.  Little did you know, there was actually someone you'd want to impress across the street.  
     You put on a nice polo, khaki shorts, decent, casual shoes, and a watch.  You were the depiction of the kind of inhabitants anyone would expect to see in this kind of neighborhood.  You grab the plastic container full of brownies that your dad had baked the night before from the kitchen counter and the two of you head out the door.    
     You cross the street and your dad knocks on the door. Within seconds, someone answers.  A man opens the door.  A trendy haircut and a solid build; he should fit right in with all the other trendy dads in the cul de sac.  
       Your dad speaks first, "Hi! I'm John, and this is my son, (Y/N)." You give a small wave. "We live right across from the street and we brought some brownies as a wel-"  
     "Hiya!" Your dad's sentence is cut off by a voice from within the house.  From the side of the doorway appears a girl.  You freeze for a second.  That green jacket, those freckles, and those incredible hazel eyes.  That's Amanda.  The prettiest, most talented girl in your grade, or at least you thought so.  You had never really talked to her but you admired her excellent photography (you'd seen it at the "art exhibits" your school had from time to time).  And now she lived across the street from you.  
    You feel a slight nudge in the rib from your dad's elbow.  You shake your head and realize you should probably give them the brownies.  You hand the container of brownies to the man (his name was Mark, you missed this piece of information in your daze) and Amanda quickly snatches them from Mark before returning to the depths of the house.    
     "And that's my daughter Amanda" Mark added chuckling, "she's a charmer. I believe she's around the same age as (Y/N)? 17?"  
     "Yup" you reply quickly.  
     "How's the transition into college treatin' you? Amanda still hasn't heard from any of her schools."  
     "Eh, me neither. It is only February after all." you shrug.  
     Mark shrugs back, "well hopefully things can work out for you both," he says smiling.  You nod and thank him.  
      "Well, we'd better let you get back to unpacking" your dad says.  
     "Ah, good idea," Mark replies.  "Well, we'll see you guys around!" he says waving.  
     You and your dad wave back as you walk away from the house.  You really do hope you'll be seeing them around.


	2. First Impressions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey welcome back. If you got constructive criticism give it, if you want more lemme know, if you think it's dumb and I should just stop I'll stop...ye have fun!

That night you couldn't stop thinking about your new living situation. You had always wanted to talk to Amanda, but never found the courage, nor an excuse to do so. You were always bad at being the first one to talk to someone new, and felt that you always needed some outstanding reason to actually go up and talk. Luckily for you, Amanda moving across the street from you is one of those reasons.  
  You lay there in bed, thinking about what you would even say to her. Would she even want to talk to you?  Does she even think you're good looking? You barely know anything about Amanda and you're already freaking out about her image of you.  And what about her? What if she's the kind of person you disgust? What if she becomes someone you absolutely despise?  If there were any time to figure it out, it would be tomorrow at the cul-de-sac barbeque that Joseph is hosting.  You realize that it will be the perfect setting.  There aren't any other kids the same age as you in the cul-de-sac, so Amanda and you would be the only ones who could really socialize normally about relevant 17-year-old things.  
  You have to make a good impression.  If the two of you hit it off it would be perfect, especially with the whole living right across the street from each other deal. You go to sleep with these thoughts flooding your head.  
...  
      You wake up the next morning groggy.  You look at the time on your phone.  SHIT.  The barbeque starts in 30 minutes.  That's normally enough time to get ready but you're dressin' for an impressin' today so it's gonna take a little longer than usual.    
     You fling yourself out of bed, hurry over to your closet, and shuffle through the sea of hanging shirts trying to find the perfect balance of dressy and casual. There's nothing cool about overdressing for an event, especially a barbeque.  You grab a nice button down shirt (you roll up the sleeves of course), some nice shorts, and a pair of Vans.  You do the whole hair routine, brush your teeth, and check yourself out in the mirror for a final assessment...Pretty good and in record time.  
    You head out to the living room where your dad is sitting at the kitchen counter, drinking coffee and scrolling through his phone.    
     "You ready to go?" He asked, looking up from his phone with only his eyes.  
     "I was ready for social barbeque events since I was three. It's what growing up in this neighborhood does to you" you say.  
     Your dad laughs, then takes a better look at you. "Hey, you look pretty fancy...it's just a barbeque ya know" your father says jokingly.  
     "Yeah but ya know, new neighbors, good first impression, all that jazz" you say, trying not to sound suspicious.  
      "Mhm" your father replies, cocking an eyebrow.  
     "I'm almost an adult, Dad, what can I say? I've matured." You say with a hauty accent and your best "holier-than-thou" face.  
     "Great, then you can start paying your half of the bills" he says, standing up from the chair and slipping his phone into his pocket.  "Anyways, let's get over there. Don't want to be late- oh, and (Y/N) can you grab the vegetables?" Everyone always brought something to the barbeques and veggie platters were a must have...apparently, seeing as there was always at least one at any given barbeque.  
      You walk across the street briskly, leaving your dad a few yards behind you.  You ring the doorbell and Joseph answers, "Ah! Well if it isn't the (Y/LN)s! Welcome, you can set the veggies on the table next to the grill," he says, gesturing to his expensive looking grill. What a professional. You make your way through the house to the back yard, keeping an eye open for Amanda in a totally not creepy way. After a few moments of scanning the backyard, you spot her playing with some of the younger chidren by the large tree.  
You hastily place the veggies on the table and think for a moment. Should you just go up and say hi to Amanda? Of course not, that's far too direct. You figure being the only 17 year olds in the cul de sac, that the best way to catch her attention is to be cooly disconnected and maybe a little brooding.  The mysteriousness will get her for sure. That's how it works, right? She would be playing with the little kids and then notice that there's actually someone around her age not talking to anybody, and would feel inclined to come up at meet you. That was how it happened in your head at least.  
      After 20 minutes of standing in the corner of the yard, mindlessly scrolling on your phone, you realize this isn't working.  She's too invested in playing with the younger kids, which is nice, but not exactly helping your cause. Anyway, you decide you're going to have to make the first move.    
     You take a deep breath and make your way over to where Amanda and the kids are.   
        They seem to be playing some kind of pretend game with ice cream cones as props.  
     "CALLUM! WE ARE ABOUT TO DIE!" You hear one of the children yell in a mock southern accent.  Ah, Long Haul Paranormal Ice Road Ghost Truckers.  A classic.  
This was it. You were about to go in and make your impression as a cool, laid back dude. Now that you know Amanda watches Long Haul Paranormal Ice Road Ghost Truckers, you have at least two reasons to talk to Amanda. The opportunity window was now. You take a deep breath and step towards Amanda and the playing children.  
      You were about to enter the pretend realm when-SMACK! A scoop of chocolate ice cream hits you right in the face...then proceeds to slide down onto your shirt, and then finally your shoe.    
      The younger children burst into laughter.  You feel incredibly embarassed even though it wasn't your fault.  Your face feels hot despite being covered in cold ice cream. Thankfully it's covering up how red your face is.   
Amanda begins relentlessly apologizing with an empty ice cream cone in hand.  "Ohnonono I'm so sorry that's one hundred percent my bad! Here let me get you some-"  
     You hold out your hands to indicate for her to slow down, "it's all good.  I'll just...go back home real quick and clean up."  You turn on your heel and head for the house.  
Amanda stands in shock as you awkwardly make your way through the dads of the cul de sac, who all give you a questioning look, as you have ice cream dripping down your face, and all over your clothes.  
     You enter your home and head straight for the shower.  You rinse off your shoe, throw your shirt in the hamper, clean your face, redo your hair (with a little less care this time), and look at yourself in the mirror. You question if you should even go back. Although seeing how you put effort into cleaning up you might as well. Plus, what kind of loser would Amanda think you are if you holed yourself up after just getting some ice cream on your face?  You're walking towards to the front door when the doorbell suddenly rings.  Who...?  
    You open the door to find Amanda, standing with her hands behind her back and her legs crossed.  She looks a little nervous.  
     "Oh hey" you said, slightly surprised.  
      "Hey" she replied, "uh, I came here to apologize, so...sorry for getting ice cream all over your face...and shirt....and hair-"  
      "Yo it's all good" you reassure her.  
      "Are you sure? I don't know I just feel like an idiot," she says with slumped shoulders, "this has to be the worst first impression ever" she says, casting her eyes towards the ground.    
You chuckle and Amanda gives you a questioning look.  
      "Eh, first impressions don't really matter to me.  The first time you meet someone shouldn't define how you see them from there on out" you say, completely contradicting yourself earlier this morning, however, you realize you really mean what you just said.  
      "Well, I think you'll find that I actually am pretty reckless all the time, so I guess this was a pretty solid representation of me." Amanda shrugs and grins sheepishly.  
     "It is easier to be reckless than careful, so cut yourself some slack"  you say smiling.     
       "Pfft, thanks" she says, rolling her eyes. Her spirits seem lifted a bit. She shakes her head, "So, uh, anyways...here"  she produces a chocolate ice cream cone from behind her back.  "Whadda ya say we start over with ice cream in your face instead of on it" she holds out the ice cream cone with one hand, and holds out her other hand for a handshake.  
     "Sounds good to me" you shake on it and grab the cone at the same time.  
You find yourself lost in the moment. This could be the start of something good, you think.  
"You can let go of my hand now" Amanda says, interrupting your thought.  
"Oh! Right right, yeah." You say, quickly withdrawing your hands.  
     "We should probably head back now" she says, gesturing back over to the yard.   
     "Right, right...Good idea" you step to leave your house and end up missing the step down from the porch.  You catch yourself but crushed the cone in your hand as a reaction.  You regain your balance and look up to see Amanda with a scoop of chocolate ice cream on her shoulder.  She looks pretty pissed...shit.  
     "Oh my god I am so sorr-"  you're cut off by Amanda bursting out in laughter.  The ice cream scoop falls to the floor as she throws her torso backward, then forward in her fit. Eventually you join in to, realizing the humor in the situation, especially since she isn't mad.  
      Eventually your laughter dies down and you look at Amanda, "even steven?" You hold out your hand.  
     "Even steven", she shakes your hand and immediately cringes realizing she just shook the hand covered in ice cream and crums from crushing the cone.  
     "You wanna wash your hand before we head back?" You suggest.  
     "Yeah" she nods and gives your hand a firm shake in sticky agreement before following you into your house.  
        
    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all I'm gonna post right now. I just want to see what's going to happen. I don't even know if anyone will see this but I just thought I'd post so yeah...kowabunga dudes


	3. Gifts and Letdowns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa chapter 3! I wanted to continue posting this story because why not ya know? It got two kudos and that enough for me so here we are!

       Since the barbeque a few weeks ago, you had gotten Amanda's number (as a friend, of course), and the two of you have been texting casually ever since.  You've even started talking and hanging out at school a bit.   
You lay on your bed texting Amanda one afternoon, 

"Have you heard from any colleges yet?"

"Nah, some of these art schools take stupidly long to review applications, what about you?"

"Nothing yet either...should I be worried?" 

You had told Amanda that you wanted to go to school in California because your dad has been wanting to do business there.

"Oh that sucks, but I'm sure you'll be fine :)"

"Thanks, I'm sure you'll be too. This month is gonna be stressful"

"Yeah. But hey, speaking of this month...my birthday's on the 22nd. I'm having a get together with my friends, you can come if you want"

Yes.  You're in.  Now play it cool.

"Get together? Not a party?"

"Eh, parties are overrated, so whadda ya say"

Such an Amanda thing to say.

"Sounds cool, I'm down"

"Awesome, alright I should get back to my art project now, see ya at school ;P"

"See ya."

      You put your phone down and stare at the ceiling.  You're pretty sure this is a crush...You think. You suppose you'll get closer to finding out on the 22nd which is in...A WEEK FROM TODAY.  Crap.  You've been friends with Amanda for less than a month how are you suppose to come up with a good gift in time.  You think of camera equipment but that's crazy expensive and how weird would it look if you got a girl you've been friends with for a few weeks a $500 tripod or something. You also know nothing about camera stuff so you wouldn't know what to get. You are now pacing in your room, trying to think of what to get. Hmm....DOGS she likes dogs, okay so get something dog related.  Some kind of small dog accessory or knick knack that won't be discarded almost immediately.  Something that she can see everyday and be reminded of how thoughtful you are. Something that'll last.  You go to the mall to get some ideas.  
      You check out Death, Goth, and Beyond of course. You know Amanda comes here quite a bit.  You look around for a bit, finding wallets, shirts, bracelets, but none dog-related. Eventually, you find the perfect thing.  It's a pin of a corgi with sunglasses on.  It's a pretty high quality pin too, not just one of those buttons with a print pressed on, but an actual pin.  It's the perfect gift: good quality but not expensive. Thoughtful, but not creepy. You had also noticed she has some pins on her jacket, so this'll be one to add to the collection.  You purchase the pin and drive home satisfied.  
     Once you're home, you put the pin in a little box you found in your junk drawer and wrap it.  It's a little sloppy but still the best job you've done and you're proud of it.  
....  
     You wake up excited on Amanda's birthday in the same way you would in elementary school when you knew you had a field trip that day. It seems so childish, waking up excited for a birthday party, but the stakes were high for this party, and you were excited to give Amanda her gift.  You get up and put on the outfit you had planned out last night.  Dressy casual. What you're known best for.  The party starts at 1:30 but you knew you had to be fashionably late, despite how much you wanted to be early.   
     You put on your necklace and watch, and grab Amanda's gift.  You look at yourself in the mirror, inspecting your hair and face once more before making your way across the street.  You started to wonder who would be there.  There wouldn't be any of your friends. Maybe some aquaintences, but nobody you talk to on a regular basis other than Amanda.  You want to make a good impression on Amanda's friends so they like and approve of you, but you recognize that you're pretty bad at socializing. Usually in this case you'd just hang around Amanda for the whole party but for one: you'll just be hogging Amanda from all of her friends, and two, her friends would just see you as grossly infatuated with Amanda and probably hate you. Wow. This turned out to be a bigger deal than you initially thought.    
    With that in mind, you exit the door at 1:35 and walk across the street.  You knock on the door and Amanda eagerly opens the door,

"(Y/N)! Hey! Come on in!"  

She gestures for you to enter.

"Uh where should I put-" 

you say, pointing at the gift.

"What?! You didn't have to get me anything! I said this isn't a party!" 

Amanda says flustered, crossing her arms.

"Okayyyy but it's still your birthday. You're EIGHTEENTH birthday too. It's a big deal. Plus it's not really anything special so don't worry about it," 

You say with a grin on your face.  
     Amanda purses her lips and narrows her eyes with a raised brow in a sassy way, and gives you a friendly punch in the arm, 

"well thank you, seriously" she says with a more sincere face.  
      
    Amanda smiles at you as she makes her way to the couch, where a couple of her friends are sitting.  

"(Y/N), this is Emma R. and Noah."

"Oh yeah, I remeber Noah from Algebra 2, sophomore year."

Noah shutters a bit,

"ugh, Mrs. Davemeyer, how could I forget."

Emma R. stands up to shake your hand,

"I don't believe we've properly met before, but I've seen you around school"

She says in a very...proper tone.

"Ditto" 

you say, shaking her hand and nodding.  
     Over the next few minutes, somewhat familiar faces enter.  You all sit around, eating snacks and listening to music.  You think Amanda's friends like you, and you like them too. This is going well.  
    After an hour or so of socializing, someone puts a movie on in the living room and a small group of people break off to continue talking.  There are only a few of you watching the movie, one being Amanda.  She's sitting between Emma R. and you, until she stands up and leaves to go make some popcorn.  When she returns, she sits on the opposite end of the couch next to Noah.  Hm, okay. You decide not to let it bother you too much, just relax. She probably didn't mean anything by it.  
    However, throughout the course of the party you can't help but realize how...close, Amanda seems to be with Noah.  You're sensing something, and it feels like shit.  You came to this party thinking it would be a great way to get close to Amanda and her friends, but she seems to be seeing it as a great way to get closer to Noah.  This kind of thing happened to you before and it sucked.  This sucks.  You tried to play it off in your mind but after a while, there was no denying it. As time went on, you became an afterthought to Amanda. Never saying anything to you unless you said something to her, and constantly casting her attention towards Noah, and almost nobody else. And here you were, worried that you'd hog Amanda.   
After a few hours of witnessing these "patterns", you deduce that Amanda has a crush on Noah. Just the thought of that makes your heart burn. Your feelings may be small for Amanda, but they're real, and that's what sucks the most. At least now you can definitely say that you have a crush on Amanda. Of course life had to choose the worst way of letting you find out.  
You go to the bathroom and sit on the toilet to think in a quiet space for a bit. "There's gotta be something I can do to remind Amanda that Noah's not the only one at this party...I gotta do...something" you think to yourself. After a few minutes you decide how you're going to bring this party back in your favor.  
You exit the bathroom and find everyone watching another movie. You figure in order to grab Amanda's attention, you'll commentate on the movie with funny jokes and anecdotes. It'll get Amanda's attention and her friends will think you're funny. It's a win-win.  
You sit down on the couch and figure out what's going on in the movie, and start thinking of anything clever, funny, or both to say about what's happening in the movie. You start with a few lines here and there which elicit a few huffs of amusement from the people sitting around you, and only a few of them from Amanda. Maybe you need to try harder.  
A character in the movie tries to run to catch up with a bus but ends up falling flat on face.

"HA! WHAT A FUCKIN-"

"Yo! (Y/N)! Can you like...chill please?"

Amanda's words hit you like several knives. Her slightly annoyed expression sharpening each one as it pierces your heart.

"Uh...yeah, yeah sorry"

you say, turning your attention back to the movie. God dammit! GOD DAMMIT! You idiot! You feel like such a dumbass. What kind of plan was that in the first place? If anyone else did the same thing you'd be equally as annoyed. Amanda probably just said what all of her friends were thinking anyways. Your face feels hot and you wish you could just sink into the corner of the couch and hide from everyone. You screwed up. As if you already didn't feel shitty enough, this was the cherry on top.   
The party feels like a huge disappointment and a loss at this point, which only makes you angry at yourself for letting Amanda's crush on Noah get in the way of having a good time.  It's a lose-lose situation. You want to go home.  
      Later into the night, everyone sings happy birthday and eats cake and Amanda begins to open presents.  Hey, maybe she'll really like your present.  That could lift your spirits...at least a little bit.   
After opening gift card after gift card, Amanda finally gets to your present.  It's weird how you seem to be the only one that's gotten her a real gift, having known her for the least amount of time out of the whole group.  She unwraps the small box and opens it. Your heart rate increases as you watch her face anxiously. Her eyes widen and her jaw drops in awe before turning her face into a huge smile as she pulls out the pin.  

"Yo! This is great! It's so cute! I love dogs! And it has sunglasses!!!  Oh my god thank you, (Y/N)!" 

She smiles at you.  It melts your heart.  You smile back, feeling like you've just won a gold medal at the Olympics. 

"And here I've got the perfect place for it"

She takes off the pin backing and fastens the pin on the left side of her jacket, right next to the panda pin.

"Alriiight, how do I look?" 

she does a cliché model pose.   

"Like a million bucks worth of dog treats"

"Perfect! Just the look I was goin' for." 

She sets the box aside and moves onto the next gift.    
       You needed that.  At least you know you tried your best, and while it was a valiant effort (that failed hopelessly), there's just something else that she sees in Noah.  All you can do is hope that things turn out differently.  And you do hope that things turn out differently, as there are only four months for anything to turn out at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading yall. Feel free to comment any criticism!


	4. Friendly Advice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for ya. This one's a little short but it's all good. Also sorry if my format's been kinda all over the place. I've been trying to figure out the best way to do it and I think I'm getting closer each time. If anyone has tips hmu ;)

      It's been a few days since the party and nothing has changed. Your crush on Amanda, and Amanda's crush on Noah still very well exist, and don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. You can't stop thinking about Amanda. All you want to do is try and win her over Noah, so you've been trying to hang out with her more.

"Hey man, you wanna hang out today? I got nothin' else goin on", your best friend, Nico, asks just as class ends.

As you're putting your things in your backpack, getting ready to leave the classroom, you respond, "sorry man, I have plans to hang out with Amanda today."

"Again? Dude that's like the third time this week!  We haven't been able to play video games and chill in a while, bro."

"I know man, but you know she moved across the street and I just wanna get to know her better you know...as friends", you say, trying to be nonchalant. Nico stops you from getting out of your seat.

"Bro..."

You stop and look back at him, "bro what?"

Nico starts laughing hysterically.

"It's so obvious dude! It's all clear now!" He says in the midst of his fit.

"Lower your voice!"  You say, punching his arm.

"You're tryin' to smash, huh?"

"What! No!-"

"Oooo shit my boy's tryin' to smash, gonna lose his virginity to the new girl on the block", Nico teases, nudging your bicep with his fists.

"Shut up! Plus I'm not even a-"  
         
Nico gives you a dead cold stare.

"Okay yeah I'm still a virgin...BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I'M TRYING TO-"

Nico lunges towards you and covers your mouth, "YO! Bro now you gotta keep YOUR voice down."

He takes his hand off your mouth.

"Look", he says, gesturing to the doorway of the classroom with his head. You turn your head around and find Amanda standing in the door frame. She waves at you,

"You ready to go yet?"

"Uh, yeah yeah!" You say clumsily getting up out of your desk, throwing your bag over your shoulder.

"What? No you're not!" Nico raises his voice, pulling you back down into your seat. Amanda cocks her eyebrow and gives a suspicious look.

"Amanda, go on ahead, I'll just meet you at your place after I'm done talking to Nico here."

"Okayyy, guess I'll just walk home by myself then", Amanda says in a half-sarcastic tone.

"Look what you've done" you say to Nico with a stern face.

"Damn dude I didn't know you were this deep in it"  Nico says in disbelief.  
       
"Deep in what man?  So what-..." you stop yourself and begin to whisper in fear that Amanda is eavesdropping from the hall. 

"So what if I have a crush on her?  It just happened, and plus I'm pretty sure she's got a crush on Noah anyways, so it's fine...it's whatever, I'm just trying to let it go."

"And so letting it go means tryin' to smash?"

"You're missing the point", you say as you start to stand up again.  
        
"Look I'm kidding, man. But seriously, you can't expect me to believe that you're getting over it, but also hanging out with her more and more at the same time.  That's not how it works."

"What are you talking about? It's completely possible to have a platonic relationship with someone of the opposite sex.  That's a thing", you say, crossing your arms.

"Sure it is, but is that even a possibility with her? I mean have you seen her? She's gorgeous."

You have to agree.  She is incredibly pretty. You don't say anything for a moment. Finding the words to convey your thoughts.

"Look, I don't know, these are just the decisions I'm making, okay? Plus we only have a few months and then we're off to college.  So excuse me if I want to spend some time with someone that I should have been spending time with a long time ago."

Your words are met by a helpless looking Nico.

"I gotta go" you grab your bag and stand up. Nico doesn't try to stop you this time. 

...

     After hanging out with Amanda at her house for a bit, you feel your phone vibrate.  You got a text message.  It's from Nico. You open it hesitantly, making sure Amanda can't see your screen.    
It reads: 

"Hey, I'm only saying this because I care about you and your emotional well-being: you need to stop.  You're just gonna end up hurting yourself."

You stare at the text, unable to think of what to say.

"(Y/N)?"  
       
You shake your head and return to reality, "huh?"  
       
Amanda is looking at you quizically, "you okay? You looked like you went out into space for a sec.  Everything good? You see the milkway? Visit pluto? Come on tell me all about it" she sat there staring at your expectantly. You love her sense of humor.

"Pluto says hi" you smile, turning your phone off and setting it aside.


	5. Night Time Talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while. This chapter was a little longer than all the others, and I also just got super busy these past few weeks so anytime I tried to edit the chapter I would just pass out at my computer and make no progress. But finally, I got through it. Enjoy!

     A week passes and you can't help but think about what Nico said, but you can't let go of Amanda.  You both have a similar sense of humor, you get along so well, and she's just so fun to be around.  You're beginning to care a lot about your friendship with her.  
     One day, you were texting her and after uncharacteristically passive responses, she leaves you on read.  Thirty minutes since you sent your last text.  Hmm, that's not like her.  

You decide to send another text, "sooo what's up?" Read again, but no reply.  You decide to just wait it out and not be weird about it, she's probably just busy with something.  
An hour and a half passes. Still no reply. Something's up. One more text should be fine, right? 

"You good, Amanda?" You cringe as you send the dreaded triple text and regret it almost immediately.

She didn't even read this one.  Just...nothing.  You're actually worried now. You realize you're probably overreacting but your mind always goes to the worst case scenario in situations like this. You find yourself too distracted to do anything else but wait for a reply. What could've happened? You pace around your room nervously and occasionally look across the street through your window. One time, you see her car pull into the driveway. Amanda gets out of the car and practically sprints to the door, slamming it behind her after she enters. The living room light turns on, but it doesn't tell you very much about what's happening inside. Every fiber of your being wants to send another text, but saying "hey I was spying through my window and saw you pull into your drive way" seems like a bad idea. So you refrain. At least she's home so you know she's safe, but it definitely looked like something was wrong.  
After another hour of constant worrying and no text, despite her being home, you decide to do something you never thought you would do until you were a father.  You're going to call.  
    You take a deep breath and push the little phone icon next to her contact. The phone only rings 3 or 4 times, but it feels like an eternity.  You can hear your heart pounding in your ears. Finally she picks up.

"Amanda? Hello? Are you okay? Is your phone working?"

"...yyeeah"  Amanda's voice sounds strained and quiet.  

And then you hear a sniffle.

"Amanda?...are you...crying?"

"Huh!? No!" she sniffled again.  
       
"You've definitely been crying.  Is everything okay?"  
       
Amanda sighs, "I just want to be left alone right now, I'm sorry"  
       
"Nononono hold up, if something's wrong I'm here for you.  And clearly somethings wrong, so I'm here for you. So tell me, what happened?"

"It's too much to explain right now over phone-"

"Great then I'll come over right now and you can tell me in person alright? I'm bringing snacks and tunes, I'll be over in a second."

"No you don't ha-" you hang up before she can contest. 

You realize that this is an extreme impulse decision, but Amanda is clearly hurt by something and you can't just sit back and watch her from the sidelines without doing anything. You care too much about her to let that happen.  
    You put shoes on, throw on a hoodie, and make your way into your living room quietly.  It's 11PM. Your dad is already asleep and you don't want to wake him. You grab a bag of chips and a tupperware of cookies from the cupboard and leave the house.  You run across the street up to Amanda's door and try the knob to find it's unlocked.  That's probably not safe.  You quietly close the door behind you and lock it.  You tip toe down the hall to Amanda's room and gently tap on her door.  Your heart is pounding. You're nervous, and prepared for the worst.  

The door cracks open and you see a sliver of Amanda's face, trying to hide.  

"You know you don't have to-" she says quietly, avoiding eye contact.  
        
"But I am.  Look I brought chips and cookies"  you hold them up. 

The door opens all the way and Amanda immediately turns away and lays back down on her bed, face down.  You set the snacks on her bed next to her and quietly close the door behind you.  
     Amanda tries to say something, but with her face in the pillow, it comes out as muffled gibberish.  

"Huh?"   
        
She turns her head to the side, "I said this is so embarassing."

"What? No it's fine, you're good...here, I uh...whenever I'm sad or anything I listen to one of my favorite bands. You probably haven't heard of them, but I think you'll like them." You try to say in a somewhat cheerful tone.   
The truth is, seeing Amanda cry like this hurts. She's always seems so happy, and seeing her in this state is like looking at a wounded puppy. You just wish you could snap your fingers and make all of her troubles disappear, but unfortunately, it's never that easy.  
You take out your phone and start playing music and lay down on the floor next to Amanda's bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"So, um , do you want to talk about it?" You start.

Amanda groans.

"Okay okay sorry you don't have to-"

"Nono it's fine I'll tell you. It's just that everything is so frustrating...but anyways, it's kinda dumb, the whole situation."

"Somehow I doubt that."

Amanda then fills you in on her situation, with all of her friends practically turning on her, Emma R. and Noah's secret relationship, and of course Amanda's crush on Noah. Even though you were pretty sure of her crush already, it stung a little to have it confirmed by Amanda herself.

"So yeah that's everything. I know it's stupid."

"What? No it's not at all!" You say, sitting up. What you're "friends" did is total garbage. They should've never treated you like that."

You pause for a second, collecting your thoughts.

"And I know this sounds harsh, but maybe if they're willing to drop you so fast, you should be too. I know it's hard because you still want to be friends with them, and maybe you can, but you definitely need some time away from them for their own sake, because apparently they need to figure out where their priorities lie."

You grab Amanda's arm, and look her right in the eyes, "look, Amanda, even though this probably feels like the end of the world I can assure you that it's not. You'll get past this. I went through a similar situation last year so I at least have an idea of what you're going through. Just know that you're not alone in this. Like I said on the phone, I'm here for you and I always will be. You're an incredibly talented and amazing person, Amanda. My biggest regret in high school is not talking to you sooner, and if your friends don't value you like I do, then maybe they're not worth your tears."

Amanda stares back at you, shocked. Tears well up in her eyes, she shoves her face back into her pillow, and starts sobbing. 

"Oh my god Amanda are you okay?"  

Did you say something wrong? You were speaking from the heart so you couldn't really tell. Were you too forceful? Did you really just say all of those things?

"No...nothing you said was wrong..." she sniffles and takes a moment to compose herself a bit. She looks at you and grins through watery eyes.

"That's just all so sweet."

"Well, uh...I try I guess"  you adjust your posture, noticing that you ended your rant in a half-slouch.

Amanda sighs, "hey (Y/N) can you...come up here?" She asks.

"Uh, up...? There?"  

Your heart is racing.  Does she means what you think she-

"Like...on my bed...not in a weird way I just..." her words trail off.

"Uh...yeah, Sure." 

You get up from the ground and awkwardly climb onto her bed, trying your hardest not to touch her.  After a bit of fumbling, you find yourself in a somewhat comfortable position on the very edge of the bed, lying on your back with your hands in the pockets of your hoodie.  Suddenly, you feel Amanda's arms wrap around your left arm.  Your heart is pounding incredibly hard and fast, you think it's going to explode.  You feel Amanda curl up her legs and snuggle her face against your bicep.

"Hey, (Y/N)"  Amanda says.  
        
"Yeah?"    
        
"Thanks."    
        
"For what?"  

She lets out a tired sigh-laugh, but she's not smiling.  
       
"For everything.  What you said just now.  It felt really...nice, and genuine.  I just...I miss my friends" she grips onto your arm tighter.  
       
You turn your body, take your hands out of your pockets, and face Amanda.  Tears are rolling down her face and you attempt to wipe them away with your thumb, although it doesn't work as well as it does in the movies.  
     You take a second to appreciate the scenery. Her smooth skin, illuminated by the moonlight. You get lost in her beautiful eyes.  Inches away from her face, you wish you had a mint before you came over.  Neither of you say a word, just looking at each other with the music from your phone still playing in the background.  The moment feels surreal, there are butterflies in your stomach and your heart is fluttering.  You swallow hard and debate on what to do in this situation.  You move your hands down to Amanda's arms, she begins to close her eyes, you do the same.  You lean in and- 

    *click*  
     The front door.  
     Both of your eyes shoot open, freezing all motion with your lips mere centimeters apart. 

Amanda pulls back "shit!" She whispers, "my dad's home! You need to hide, if he finds a boy in my bed we're both dead!"  

Without saying a word, you quickly roll off the bed and fumble with your phone a bit before turning off the music.  On the floor, you realize your best shot is under the bed.  You salute to Amanda, grab the snacks, and roll under the bed.  You scooch all the way up against the wall and try to remain as still as possible.  You hear footsteps coming down the hall. Then the door creaks open.

"Hey, Manda? Are you alright?" 

"Not right now" Amanda replies with her strained voice.    
       
"Did something happen?"  
       
"No, nothing happened, I'd just like to be alone right now"

A moment of silence.

"Well...okay...I'll leave you be then, goodnight"  Mark closes the door gently.   
   
You wait to hear his footsteps fade away and his bedroom door close before allowing yourself to breath again.  Mark was pretty nice and calm just then, you could only imagine how quickly things could have changed if he found you.  

"It's clear" Amanda whispers.

You slowly crawl out from under the bed, trying incredibly hard to not crush the chip bag and make an absurd amount if noise.  
        
"I should probably go now huh" you suggest.  
        
Amanda looks at the ground, "actually, I mean...if you want to...could you um...staywithme   
forabit?"

"Huh?"

"Could you...stay...with me...for a bit?" Amanda forces herself to ask. "It'll be easier for you to leave once my dad's fully asleep anyways."  
        
Your heart melts and you can't help but grin sweetly, "Sure thing."

You get on your knees on the ground. You decide it's best to not get back on the bed. You extend your hand to Amanda and she grabs it lazily, intertwining her fingers with yours.  You lay your head on the side of the mattress, playfully stroking Amanda's thumb with your's. 

...

     You open your eyes and find yourself still in Amanda's room, kneeling on her floor, holding her hand.  In a half-panick, you check the time on your phone, 4:32AM.  Thank god.  You check on Amanda, she's sound asleep by now.  She looks so peaceful, and cute...adorable actually.  You slowly and carefully slide your hand out of Amanda's.  You find a sticky note and a pen, you leave the cookies and chips on Amanda's bedside table with a note, "consider it breakfast :)"  
    You slowly open Amanda's door to leave, but before you do, take one last look at Amanda sleeping.  You decide to leave before your poor heart can't take it anymore.  You sneak out of Amanda's house and quietly make your way back to you own.  
You open the door as quietly as possible. You close the door behind you and look up to find your dad jn the kitchen getting a glass of water.  
Your dad looks at you in awe, trying to find his words.

"Where?" Seems to be all that he can manage.

"Sleepwalking. Yeah, I uh, just ended up outside. Don't know when don't know for how long. Pretty scary stuff right anyways I'm gonna get back to bed but uh ya know see you in the morning" you say as you power walk to your bed room.

You enter your room and close the door, sliding down to the ground. You put your face in your hands for a moment before getting up and getting in bed.  
You lay down and think about everything that just happened.  What does this mean?  Does she have feelings for you now?  Or was that a just-in-the-moment intimate thing.  Your helplessly confused. There are so many unanswered questions that can only be talked out in person with Amanda.  The sooner the better. There are three months of high school left, meaning just over three months left to see Amanda before she goes off to HIA. You have trouble going to sleep with all these thoughts flooding your head. You're running out of time.


	6. A Discussion Over Coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello wow it's been a while. Things just got really busy with school and finals and then the holidays so between now and New Years I have some time to get back to work on this. I feel bad for goin MIA for so long but I have returned with another chapter! I hope ya like it

    You wake up the next morning feeling antsy.  You didn't sleep very well.  You couldn't stop thinking about last night.  While you hope you made Amanda feel better, the situation with her friends is still unresolved, and you don't even know how to face Amanda at this point.  You almost kissed last night!  You can't act like that didn't happen! There are only three months until graduation so you can't wait any longer. You finally come to the decision to tell Amanda how you feel. You grab your phone and check the time.  10:12AM.  

You text Amanda, "hey, if you're not doing anything today, do you wanna meet up at the Coffee Spoon soon?" 

You set your phone down and stare at the ceiling, waiting for a response. She might not even be awake yet.  You hear a buzz after a minute.  
       
It's Amanda, "sounds good, meet you there in an hour?  Btw, thanks for breakfast ;)"

You smile reading the last bit and reply, "See you there."

You look back up at the ceiling, take a deep breath, and get out of bed and get dressed.  

       You tell your dad you're going out and leave the house.  You hop on your bike and head to the Coffee Spoon.  Your heart rate was increased not only from the physical strain of biking, but also from the anticipation of what this meeting could turn into.  You were nervous for what she might say.  Worst case scenario, Amanda all of a sudden hates you and never wants to see you again. While you recognize how extremely unlikely this is, you don't want to rule it out just yet. There are an infinite number of possibilities waiting for you in a small, local coffee shop.    
     You arrive at the Coffee Spoon and see Amanda already sitting inside through the large window.  She seems as anxious as you are.  Her hands are folded on the table in front of her and she's rapidly shaking her leg under the table.  You take a good look at Amanda through the glass, swallow, and take a deep breath.  It feels as if your fate lies beyond the door and in that booth with Amanda. You get off your bike and make your way inside, bracing yourself once more before pushing the door open.  You enter and see Matt handing Amanda her coffee. On his way back to the counter, he passes by you and takes your order.  

You sit down across from Amanda, "hey!" You say with a bright grin.  
       
"Hi" she chuckles and smiles sheepishly.  Your heart skips a beat.  
       
You pause and smile at Amanda for a brief moment, savoring what may be the last time your relationship with her is normal. You continue, "so um, you probably know why I asked to meet you here-"  
       
"If you're worried about my dad finding out about last night, don't.  He's clueless" she says with a smirk. She's hiding her anxiousness pretty well, but you know how she must really feel.

"Heh, well that's uh, good to know..." your words trail off as you look down at your hands in front of you on the table.

You can hear your own breath shaking. You're heart is pounding so hard you think it might explode. In an attempt to calm down, you try settling into the moment like your mom had taught you. You take in the ambient hum of conversations throughout the coffee shop. The clink of spoons stirring coffee. The occasional "psst" of the esspresso machine. You take a deep breath and fill your lungs with air, breathing in the smell of freshly ground coffee beans and something sweet baking in the kitchen. You think you can do this.  
      
"So...the thing is..."  you have to tell her, there is no other way.  
      
"Yes?" Amanda asks, looking at you expectantly.  
      
"Amanda.  I really like you."   
      
"Hey man I think you're pretty cool to-"  
      
"But I like...REALLY like you, like in...THAT way" you're trying really hard to avoid eye contact, but still see how Amanda is reacting.  
       
"Oh..." she says looking down at her coffee.  You can tell she was hoping it wouldn't come to this.  
      
Matt serves you your drink. You wait for him to leave to continue. "That's what I was worried about.  Last night.  With everything that happened, I mean we almost-"  
       
"I know, I know.  I'm not gonna lie, I was thinking about that a lot too..I didn't sleep very well. I got up way too early and I couldn't go back to sleep"  Amanda admits with both hands on the warm mug infront of her. She stares deep into the contents of the mug as if trying to extract some kind of comfort from it.

"I just want to know...where does this put us?" You finally ask.

She looks up at you with hopeless eyes, "I...don't know.  I really thought I had a serious crush on Noah, but then you and I became friends! And everything happened with the bullshit drama and then last night I realized that you've been the only one who really cared about me this whole time, but yet I've known you for the least amount of time.  If I'm going to be honest with myself, (Y/N) I do like you too.  I'm just scared of starting anything-"  her gaze returns to the mug as she tries to calm herself down, realizing how worked up she just got.  
     Your emotions are a mess. You just laid your feelings out on the table and so did Amanda. Your heart is warmed by her comment about you caring about her, but it's hard to enjoy that after hearing her last sentence. You thought that Amanda confessing that she liked you would put you on top of the world.  But not in this context.

"Scared? What do you mean?"  You ask, sounding almost desparate.  
       
"Don't you see why? We have less than three months of high school left and then we're leaving Maple Bay!  We're going separate ways and I d-...I don't want to hurt you like that...and I don't want to hurt myself like that either" she says on the verge of tears.  
       
"Amanda don't say that!" you raise your voice and you lunge up from your seat, reaching across the table and grabing Amanda by the forearm. "You act like we'll never see each other again, but you're wrong.  When you moved across the street from me I thought this was just a small crush that I developed, but when we started talking more and hanging out I realized it was so much more than that.  And I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that we don't drift apart when we go off to college.  I said it last night and I'll say it again because I mean it...Amanda, you are really amazing, and I couldn't just let someone like you go even if I wanted to."

You get up from your side of the booth and make your way over to sit next to Amanda.  

"I understand why you wouldn't want anything to start between us in these next few months because you don't want to deal with the pain when we're apart, but I just want you to know that I will wait for you, Amanda. Because you're worth it." You now realize how close you've gotten to Amanda as you look into her eyes, inches away from your own.  
       
"I...I don't know what to say" she says, trying to process everything.  "I...-"

You lunge forward and press your lips against her's.  After a moment of surprise, Amanda grabs your jacket with both hands and pulls, bringing you deeper into the kiss.  After a few seconds, you both pull away.  Your heart is racing and by the look on Amanda's face, her's is too.  You suddenly feel like you're burning inside.  You can't believe this just happened.

"Wow" Amanda says with her eyes wide open.    
       
"Yeah...wow" you awkardly clear your throat.  
       
Suddenly remembering that you are in a public place, you quickly grab your coffee cup and take a sip, nervously looking around the room.  Amanda does the same.  There's a moment of silence as you both think about what just happened. Eventually, Amanda picks the conversation up where it left off.  
       
"So...I know you probably don't want to hear this..." Amanda starts.  
       
"No, I know what you're going to say and it's okay. We don't have to be anything. I'm not going to force you into any kind of relationship or anyth-"  
        
"I didn't finish" Amanda says, putting her coffee mug down. "What you said about...waiting, for me...did you mean it?"  She looks at you with a sincere look.  
       
"Of course I meant it.  I meant everything I said, and that goes for last night as well" you say with confidence, reassuring Amanda of your genuine care.  
       
"Well..." Amanda traces her finger around the rim of the mug and sighs, "I think I would be willing to wait as well" she looks up at you with a smile.  
      
"Wait really?!" You ask, shocked.  
       
Amanda chuckles, "yes really.  You're a great person and even though we haven't known each other that long, I can tell you really care about me, and I care about you, too." She hesitates, thinking for a moment. "Here, I want you to have this.  She takes off the pin you bought her for her birthday, and pins it on your jacket.  "Hold on to this for the next four years alright?  You know I'll have to come back for it" she smiles at the pin, then at you.  
       
"Thanks" you say as you pull Amanda in for a hug.  You enjoy every second. You're enveloped in her warmth the sweet smell of her hair and you feel safe, like she'll never leave, but you know she will.  You never want to let go.


End file.
